


The Boy in the Church's Closet

by Christian_the_bluefrog



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Bible Quotes, Charlie Bradbury Ships Castiel/Dean Winchester, Fluff, Happy Ending, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, John Winchester's A+ Parenting, M/M, Pastor John Winchester, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-16
Updated: 2018-10-16
Packaged: 2019-08-03 07:01:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16321397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Christian_the_bluefrog/pseuds/Christian_the_bluefrog
Summary: Pastor John Winchester is widely know for his ability to "fix" gay youths. Naomi Novak, Castiel's mother, has uprooted him and moved so they can attend Pastor John's church. When Dean meets Castiel he knows he has to save him from his father's wrath.





	1. The Demon of Homosexuality

**Author's Note:**

> PLEASE READ NOTES FIRST 
> 
> If you are touchy about religion this fic might upset you. It has an anti homophobia theme, with a pro Christian view. There will be praying, and biblical theology. The church in the story is Pentecostal based.
> 
> I wrote this as a way to express myself as a Christian who is also in the LGBT community, and to express the fact that there are many reasons to doubt certain parts of The Bible.

Dean sat in the front pew, back straight and shoulders back. His crisp, white, new shirt itched around the wrists; and his blue tie was suffocatingly tight. There was entirely too much gel in his hair, and for the life of him, he couldn't stop bouncing his leg. 

'Fifteen minutes; just fifteen more minutes.' He thought as he glanced down at his watch. He kept his arm still, less someone see him and realize he's not paying attention. 

'Thirteen minutes.' This morning had been horrible. It'd only been a month since Sam had left for that private boarding school but it might as well have been a year. Dean was miserable without him. His father was one hundred percent focused on him now; not in a good way.

'Nine minutes.' This was his last year of high school, and as soon as May came around he'd be gone. He knew enough to get a job as a mechanic and he'd live out of Baby's back seat if he had to; as long as he could get the hell out of this town.

"Now, I'd like everyone to give a warm welcome to the newest members of our flock. Ms. Naomi Novak and her son, Castiel." Dean noticed the change in his father's tone and tuned back in. 

The mother stood, dragging her son up by the shoulder, hoping no one would notice that Castiel wasn't going to stand on his own; everyone noticed. There was a firm overlapping of voices; a mix of hello, and welcome. 

"Ms. Novak, would you and your son join us on stage here." Once again the woman had to use a bit of force to get Castiel moving. They walked up to the stage, which was covered in the same forest green, berber carpet as the rest of the church. Pastor John stopped them at the first step, placing his hand on Castiel's chest. He leaned away from the touch, but gave in when his mother stepped behind him.

"There is a demon in this young man!" Gasps of horror followed the pastor's statement. Castiel sighed deeply, by the looks of it, he was very accustomed to all of this. 

"The demon of homosexuality!" Dean had to cover his mouth to hide his laugh, but after looking around, several other people had copied his gesture for a different reason. Castiel crossed his arms over his chest, and turned around to look at the shocked faces; all focused on him. 

Pastor John reached under the pulpit and pulled out a vial of holy oil. Ms. Novak kept her son in place and a cross was drawn in oil against his forehead. 

"I'd like everyone to come forward and lay hands on this child. We will cast this demon out, in the name of God!" Everyone stood, and Dean found himself being ushered forward by his mother. He was pushed right in front of Castiel and hesitantly put a hand on his shoulder. He tried his best to apologize with his eyes, but wasn't sure if the other boy knew or even cared. The dark haired boy closed his eyes as the crowd of people surrounded him. 

There were just over a hundred or so members of their church, but when they were all gathered in a tight group like this, it feels more like a thousand. Dean prayed that Castiel wasn't claustrophobic. 

"Pray with me, brothers and sisters, help release this Child of God from the Devil's grasp!" A murmur of prayer hummed through the air. Dean shifted uncomfortably causing Castiel to open his eyes. He gave him an apologetic smile, which Castiel did notice.

This went on for roughly ten minutes before Pastor John spoke again.

"Thank you everyone. Together we will drive this demon out, and save young Castiel's soul!" There was a few calls of 'Amen' and 'Hallelujah'. Then the group was dismissed. 

Castiel tried to take off, but his mother caught him by the wrist and he stopped. 

"Father, may I show Castiel the rest of the church grounds?" Dean spoke up. He had to get that miserable, defeated look of the other boy's face. 

"As long as it's alright with Ms. Novak." 

"That sounds like a wonderful idea. I wanted to speak to your father anyway." Dean smiled as Castiel was released from his mother's grip. 

"We are leaving at 12:30, I expect you in the van by then." John called as Dean briskly walked away with Castiel on his heels. He charged through the double doors and turned left. Through the glass doors, into the courtyard, past the fountain, and a right into the entrance of the gym. 

They only used it on special occasions and most of the time it's locked, but Dean knew exactly where to push on the handle to get it open. The lights were off, but with the sun streaming through the windows lining the top of the walls, everything was visible. There was a large painting of a lion's head, the church mascot back when they had their private school on the grounds. The basketball hoops were missing most of their nets, and most of the boundary lines were worn away.

Dean slipped past the 'do not enter' sign on the stairway and took the stairs two at a time. The balcony was about ten feet long from the wall to the rail, and stretched across the entire length of the building. It was filled with play props, storage boxes, leftovers from the last yardsale, and any other random junk no one had a place to put. 

Dean rounded a corner of boxes, stacked taller then the boys, and finally stopped at his hideaway. Castiel turned the corner just in time to see him plop down into a beanbag chair. There was a second one next to him and a box with a deck of cards between the two. Castiel followed suit and fell into the cool, blue leather of the second chair. 

"That was an adventure and a half." He chuckled as Dean pulled out his phone and set an alarm. 

"You looked like you needed an out." Dean smiled and pocked his phone. 

"Thank you." They were silent for a moment before Castiel spoke again. 

"So, the preacher's son wants to hang out with a demon?" It caught Dean off guard.

"Gota keep on dad's good side somehow." He chuckled, noticing his heart was still racing, but it hadn't even been that far of a run. 

"So is this the full tour?" 

"Nope, but since we have twenty minutes, I figured it'd be best to let the crowd thin out a bit before we do the whole 'and here's the this thing' bit."

After a few minutes Dean stood and they slipped out of the gym. They visited the dinning hall at the back of the property, and the nursery, but Dean's alarm went off and they decided to walk to the back parking lot together. 

"Oh that looks fun." Castiel said as the huge open field came into view. There was a large tractor tire sitting by the fence, big enough for a grown man to fit inside.

"I'll have to show you how much it is, later." They stopped at a gold Lincoln Continental that Castiel had pointed out as his mother's car. It was only a few spaces away from the church van that the Winchesters drove everywhere in.

Their parents pushed the glass doors open and started towards the parking lot. 

"Hello boys, did you enjoy the tour?" John directed his question at Castiel.

"Yes sir." He may have had an attitude in the church, but now he spoke with confidence; he'd squared his shoulders, and stood just a bit straighter. Almost as if he was sizing the man up. 

"Good, we'll see you tonight at the evening service then."


	2. The Definition of Abomination

Castiel dashed out of the car and ran around the back of the trailer, clicking his tongue. A lean, white cat with orange and black markings crept out from under the structure.

"I thought I told you to leave that nasty thing alone." His mother called from the front steps.

"How'd that work out for ya?" He called back. The front door slamed and he knew he'd regret the comment later, but boy did it feel good now. He unbuttoned his dress shirt and hung it on a branch before scooping up the purring mess of fur and pulling her to his chest. He could change his under shirt later. 

"You are the only good thing to come out of this move." The cat nuzzled into his neck. Every animal he met loved him immediately, and it was something he took pride in. They say animals are good judges of character, and if people didn't like him at least they did. 

Castiel brushed some pine needles off a stump and sat, still clinging to the soft fur. He felt a wave of emotion hit him, he'd been pushing it down since the move two days ago and he refused to cry in front of anyone, especially his mother. So, this was as good a time as any. He burrowed his face into the nuzzling animal and let the tears flow. 

If he wasn't holding onto the fragile creature, he'd be throwing punches at trees and running until his lungs burned and he'd lost all since of direction. But that would only make his mother more upset, especially if she had to go looking for him. 

This had happened and like it or not he had to deal with it. It wasn't like he left a group of friends behind, in fact there really wasn't anything he'd miss. What upset him was the fact that his mother had picked this town because of that stupid church. It had a history of 'fixing' gay people; 'healing' them, or how ever you want to phrase that bullshit.

He wasn't sick or broken. He wasn't wrong or evil. He is who he is, but that didn't stop his mother.

He'd spent years going over the bible, examining verse after verse. He even went as far as to look up the translations from the original Greek. He had an answer for every question, a debate for every view, a comeback backed up by scripture; but no one would listen. They cherry picked what they wanted and ignored anything they didn't like. 

He is a Christian. He's a gay Christian, and he knew in his heart, there was nothing wrong with that. 

 

~<3~

 

It was a small crowd, like every Sunday afternoon service. Dean stood at the front door, shaking hands and smiling the fake smile he'd perfected long ago. He saw Castiel pull up and step out of his mother's car. Dean could see that she had said something and obviously didn't like her son's reply. She grabbed him by the wrist and Dean dropped the fake smile. He wanted to charge in and tear her off of him. 

He'd seen this too often, kids being yanked into the church, their parents throwing them at his father.

'Heal him, fix her.' 

It wasn't the power of God that got those poor kids to lie. God wasn't the one who intimidated his authority into these frightened kids. It was his father. He'd been on the wrong end of that stick before, and he never, ever wanted to be in that position again. 

In the cases of the stubborn ones his father would arrange private bible studies. There were no bruises or other physical injuries when they exited, but the mental trama that they must have endured- he didn't want to finish the thought.

Ms. Novak smiled at him as she draged her son behind her. His smile faded into a look that he hoped would give the other boy some comfort or reassurance. Dean's mother tapped his shoulder and together they made their way to the front pew.

His father took the stage and smiled to the crowd. 

"How blessed are we to enjoy each others fellowship tonight! I want you to turn to your left and say 'I'm glad you're here tonight'. Now everyone stand up and walk around, let's take some time to show your church family some love."

Dean stood and started to wander around shaking hands and giving small side hugs. He found himself in front of Castiel, his mother behind him with her back turned. He thrusts his hand out awkwardly, which was incredibly strange to him, given that he had quite literally given at least a thousand handshakes growing up.

Castiel's lips curled up the tiniest bit as he took Dean's hand. One firm shake up and down, and it left the oddest sensation in the pit of Dean's stomach. He turned and headed back to his seat wondering if was something he ate. 

"I'd like everybody to open their bibles to first Corinthians 6:9-10 which reads 'Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God." He paused and looked out over the audience, clearly trying to get a read on Castiel's expression. Dean looked back at the young man who had an 'I honestly couldn't give a shit' look on his face. 

"Tonight marks the start of our next month's deliberation. We are going to talk about things that can prevent us from entering the kingdom of God. Specifically our topic tonight is Homosexuality. Turn to Leviticus 18:22, which reads: 'You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.' Does anyone here know the dictionary definition of abomination?"

He stopped clearly looking at Castiel again. His face had lost a little of its intimidation and Dean noticed more then half the church members were starting at him. This wasn't right. Castiel had the right to be himself. He wasn't hurting anyone, if anything it was the other way around. 

"The definition of abomination is something that brings hatred or disgust. Which when you break this down, The Bible is telling us, that gays are disgusting, and at the end of the day, if you think about it, they are. I'm not going to ask you to try and imagine gay sex, because I'm getting sick just thinking about it." Another pause for dramatic affect. Dean rolled his eyes, his father is putting on a show tonight.

"Now I don't know about you ladies and gentlemen, but if I knew that I was causing God to be disgusted by me, repulsed by me, I'd be ashamed; but the thought of God hating me-" He stopped to give a full body shiver and bile rose from Dean's stomach to the back of his mouth. 

"I'm going to the bathroom." He leaned in and whispered to his mother. As soon as she nodded he was up and out into the foyer, where he bolted to the men's bathroom. He stood above the sink, hands supporting his weight on the smooth, gray counter. His stomach was still turning but it wasn't something he ate. What his father was saying was the real abomination. 

He splashed cold water across his face and wondered how long he could get away with staying in here. It was empty, and honestly hanging out in a public restroom was much better then listening to that shit. His mind floated back to Castiel; he had no escape. The least he could do is be out there, even if he wasn't sitting with him. With a deep sigh he forced himself to go into the main room of the church again. 

His father was going on about Christian's have a right, no, they are required to judge on behalf of God. How else could they help the sinners if they didn't look down on them, examine their life. He stopped listening and turned to see Castiel. His face had lost all of its fight. Dean couldn't tell if he was exhausted or about to cry; maybe both. 

 

The service shouldn't last more then ten minutes; just ten more minutes. Dean tried to focus on something, anything, anyone; Castiel. He needed to talk to him after this, needed to make sure he was okay. 

He felt protective over this stranger, not that he minded. He didn't exactly have a lot of friends, and maybe with time they could become friends. The idea of being Castiel's friend brought a smile to his face, but it was ripped away when he heard what the crowd had started to chant.

"God hates gays! God hates gays!" 

"Let me hear you in the back!" His father egged on. 

"GOD HATES GAYS!" They were on their feet, hands in the air. He tried so hard, and it took every fiber of his being not to jump up and start swinging. He didn't care if he hit a little old lady at this point; all he could see was red. 

"I expect to see each one of you at Bible study on Wednesday night. God bless you, and goodnight." 

Dean was almost foaming at the mouth. People started to rise and he had to hold himself back before he ran to Castiel. He saw the red, puffy eyes that were a dead give away he had been crying. By the look of it, he must have been crying for a while. He didn't notice his father until he felt a hand on his shoulder. He had been caught staring at Castiel. 

"I know son, but don't worry. We will drive that demon out of him. He will be okay when this is all over." 

"Can I be his friend?" The words fell awkwardly from his mouth. Normally, John wouldn't let him spend time with the boys that were in need of 'healing'. He hadn't really cared too much about the rule, he had felt sorry for each one of them, but he knew how much trouble he could get into by just hanging out with them. Castiel though, he seemed worth the backlash. 

"Yes, I think you might be a good influence on him." That was the last thing he expected his father to say, but his heart jumped at the answer. 

"Why don't you get to know each other during choir practice. Ms. Novak has asked to join, so he'll need something to do while he waits. Can't let one of them just sit with idle hands."

Dean's hands tightened into fists, but he kept them at his sides. Ms. Novak's voice squawked behind him.

"That's a wonderful idea." Castiel stood next to her, eyes on the floor. Dean bit his lip in frustration. He had to find some way to make this better, if only by a tiny bit. Their parents walked over to the stage leaving the young men standing in silence. 

"Let's get out of here. If you thought the gym was cool, wait until you see what's next on the tour." He tried to be enthusiastic. Castiel looked up, his defeated face turning just a bit brighter. Dean started out to the foyer, looking back to make sure that the other boy was following him. They made it to the nursery, and Dean stopped Castiel as he reached for the lights.

"Most people don't know about this, and I want to keep it that way." The confusion was clear on Castiel's face, but he nodded anyway, leaving the lights off. Dean walked over to a door on the opposite side of the room and swung it open, revealing that it was boarded up from the other side. Castiel raised an eyebrow in question. A sly grin appeared on Dean's face as he reached in and slid the board up to the side. Castiel noticed that it had only one screw at the top, allowing it to rotate like it did. 

They both ducked under and Castiel found himself in a suffocatingly small hallway. There were cobwebs everywhere, and the dust was so thick on the floor that they left footprints.

"What is this?" Castiel waved his hand in front of his face, trying but failing to stop the dust from ticking his nose. 

"A few years back, I found the churches original blueprints. When my father took over here, they decided to leave these areas bored up, it wasn't worth the money to fix. So when I found out about them, naturally I had to go exploring." 

"Naturally." Castiel said playfully. Dean had started down the left way and they reached a bathroom door. He swung it open and Castiel couldn't help but burst out in laughter. In the middle of the tile floor, was a empty blow up kiddie pool. 

"Told you it was better then the gym, and there are plenty more rooms around here." Dean smiled as he took his shoes off and sat in the dry pool. 

"Really?" Castiel asked a grin reaching from ear to ear plastered on his face.

"Yes, really." Dean leaned back, pleased with himself for making his new friend smile. He patted the spot next to him and Castiel rolled his eyes before joining. 

"I thought there were other rooms." Castiel asked. Dean wiggled his eyebrows, a cocky smile growing. 

"I think I'll save those for the next time you need cheering up." He watched Castiel's face and before he finished his sentence he knew he'd fucked up.

"I don't need you to cheer me up. I'm not your responsibility, and if this is some kind of trick, gaining my trust to try and 'fix' me, it ends now." He stood up, grabbed his shoes, and slammed the door as he ran out.

Dean was trying to process what happened when his phone buzzed. 

-Come to the van, practice is out early.-

It was from his mother. He stood, his limbs heavy; the air had somehow become thicker. That was not how things were supposed to go. Dean couldn't explain why, but he liked the other boy, in a platonic way of course. He wanted to be his friend and he be damned if his big mouth got in his way.


	3. Youth Group

Dean was laying in bed lost in thought. He had noticed that when other boys had started to take notice of girls he couldn't care less. It wasn't that they still had cooties or anything, but girls were just girls. He figured he was a late bloomer in that way, and when he met the right girl he'd know. 

He had caught himself looking at guys before, but he made sure to try and look at girls the same. He wasn't gay; not that being gay is a bad thing. Except it was, but not in the way his father would have him believe. It was bad because it must be hard being gay, having hate and religion thrown in your face. People shoving their opinions down your throat. 

It sounded completely miserable, and if it was a choice, who would choose the harder road. Why put yourself through that? Maybe no one had stopped to think about that. Maybe, they were so set in their 'truth' that logic didn't really register anymore.

Not that it really affected him. He wasn't gay. It was okay to be gay, but he definitely was not gay. He was going to like girls one day, and as far as he was concerned leaning on a friends shoulder, and playing with their hair was completely normal. Even a peck on the forehead sounded reasonable if it was with his best friend. Except Castiel wasn't his best friend. So why did he crave that contact tonight? 

In the end he decided it didn't matter. He'd fix things with him and maybe one day they would be best friends, maybe Dean could even run his fingers through that black mess of hair. He wondered if it was as soft as it looked as he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

 

~<3~

 

It was 5:30 pm on Wednesday and Dean was sitting on the curb, waiting for that gold car to pull in. He felt a tap on his shoulder and spun around to see Kevin. He was dressed in his normal khaki shorts and collared shirt. 

"You look upset." Kevin wasn't the type to beat around the bush.

"Just waiting on a friend."

"That new guy? I heard about him, I'd give him a month until he's 'found his way back to God'." Kevin plopped down beside him.

"Dude, don't." Dean almost growled.

"Hey, what's got your panties in a twist?" Charlie had walked over and heard the tail end of their conversation. She was one of his father 'success stories'. Not that she actually changed, she just did a better job of hiding her sexuality.

"Nothing." Dean grumbled.

"We still have fifteen more minutes. Besides, I doubt his mom will let him miss this." She held both her hands down to help them up. They accepted the help and Kevin called for Alex and Claire to join them. 

"Hey guys." Claire joined the group. Alex just waved and headed inside. She was rather shy still, but everyone knew that she was getting comfortable in the group. 

The cough of an old engine had Dean's eyes up and he saw Ms. Novak park. 

"Guys, I'll meet you inside." He walked towards Castiel and noticed his mother smiling at him before she walked away. 

"Hey." Dean said quietly.

"I don't want to talk to you." He pushed past him and started to the youth room door. 

"Cas, wait. I get that you're mad. Please just give me a minute; one minute." 

"Fine." Dean let out a breath, his mind going a million miles per second.

"I hate my dad. I hate the way he looks down on other people and how he talks about gay people. I want you to know that I'm nothing like him. I hate that he's doing this to you. I hate that he's done it to others too. I wanted to cheer you up because I want to be your friend, not out of pity or because someone told me too." He slipped on a few words but hoped that it would get his point across.

"Fair enough." Castiel said after a few seconds. Dean felt his lungs start working again.

"Not that it's anywhere close to our other stops on the tour, but the youth room is pretty cool." He had to resist the urge to take the other boy by the hand to lead him inside. Maybe girls can hold hands with friends, but boys definitely can not. 

They were the last two to enter the room. Every wall was painted black, and black lights hung from the ceiling, making the color of their clothing glow. There were blue plastic chairs lined along a small curved platform in the back corner, with a drum set atop it. Against the left wall was an old couch and a coffee table stacked with Bibles. 

"Come on." Castiel followed Dean's example and grabbed a Bible, then they took a seat in the first row. 

"Hello everybody, today things are going to be just a bit different to get our new friend acquainted with everyone." A sandy blond haired man opened a side door and walked up to the platform.

"I'm Lucifer, our youth pastor. Why don't you come up here and we'll play a game." Dean could see the discomfort on his friends face but there wasn't anything he could do at the moment. 

"Don't be shy." Lucifer's voice was a bit snappy. Castiel stood and hesitantly joined him. 

"Are you familiar with two truths and a lie?" Castiel nodded. Lucifer smiled, stepping down and motioning for him to start the game.

"My favorite animals are cats. My father's name was Chuck. I hate watermelon." They were simple and not to personal. Everyone turned to Dean for the answers. 

"Hey, I don't know." He shrugged. There was quiet chatter for a minute and then Claire stood up. 

"We think that cats are not your favorite animal." 

"No. I actually love watermelon." He stepped down quickly, returning to his seat between Dean and Charlie. Lucifer stepped back up and began talking about their homework from last week. 

"Alright, before we get to the games, this weeks homework is to make a Bible quiz. We will answer them next week. Now, who's up for a crab race?" Everyone jumped up and started to rearrange the chairs. Dean tried his best to guide Cas without making it too noticeable.

"First up, Alex and Claire. Which sister is more crabby." Lucifer said as the girls took their place, hands and feet on the floor supporting their bodies. Lucifer waved his hand and the race was on.

They played several more games before the nights end and Dean had even caught Castiel smiling a few times. At least Wednesday's could be fun for him. Everyone started filing out the door and the boys were left alone in the room. Dean ran over and jumped on the couch. 

"Better then Sunday?" He asked as Castiel came to sit next to him. 

"Definitely, I might actually enjoy Wednesdays. I'm homeschooled, and actually hanging out with kids my age is refreshing." Dean smiled at him, maybe this could be an outlet from the other shit in his life.

"Dean?" 

"Yeah?" 

"What exactly is going to happen to me?" Dean's blood ran cold as he remembered the worst that had happened to the others. He debated telling the truth, it was terrifying, but Cas deserved to know. 

"It's not the same every time, and he is rougher with the boys. I haven't actually heard the whole 'demon of homosexuality' thing before. I know it's going to get worse, and I know they are going to try and crush you. I've seen the looks on the faces of the others." He paused, green eyes locked on blue. 

"Cas, would you consider lying? So you don't have to go through anymore of this." 

"No, I'm not going to back down. If they want a fight, I'll give it to them. I'm not against Christianity, Dean. I believe in God, and I know he loves me. How could he make me just to hate me?" Pastor John walked through the door. 

"I'm glad you two are becoming friends, you'll learn a lot from Dean." The boys stood up.

"I already am." Castiel smiled at Dean, then nodded to the pastor.

"We will see you next Sunday, Castiel." John's voice had a unusual tone that made Dean feel uneasy.

 

~<3~

 

It had been raining all weekend, which Dean absolutely loved. The frogs had come out and he could hear them singing their songs as he went to bed each night. 

He got up on Sunday and it was pouring, which ment he didn't have to wear his stuffy clothes. He had been waiting since Wednesday to see Castiel again. It felt crazy that he'd want to see someone so badly, but that must be what it was like to have a bestfriend. 

Could they already be best friends, he wondered as he made his way into the kitchen. His mom stood in front of the stove, and the smell of cinnamon floated through the air. It smelled like a warm Christmas night.

"Cinnamon buns are ready." She called over her shoulder. He didn't need to be told twice. His father came in, looked over his clothes and with a dissatisfied face and sat at the table. Dean wore a gray collared shirt and slacks, with his good shoes. His mother brought his father a cup of coffee and started cleaning the kitchen. 

John was very old fashioned, in the 'women belong in the kitchen' type of way. Dean hated it, but he couldn't do anything. There wasn't much of anything he could do actually. He often felt suffocated, and trapped most of the time; strike that, all the time.

They arrived at the church and Dean went around to do his morning duties. He had to straighten the Bibles in the back of the pews, set up the screen projector, and a few other small tasks. He rushed through them and went to stand by the entrance door, inside this time, so as not to let the rain in. He was the official greeter which was one of his least favorite duties, but at least he could see when Castiel would pull up from the door. 

It was twenty minutes until the start of service when the old Continental huffed into the parking lot. Dean couldn't help but smile as he watched Castiel pull out his umbrella. 

"Hey, you got a second?" Charlie said causing him to jump. He was so focused on watching Castiel that she had snuck up on him. 

"Yeah, what's up." He pulled his eyes away from the doors. 

"It's not something I can talk about now, but if we could go somewhere where the walls don't have ears. Maybe after service?" He nods as the door clicks open. Charlie gave him a quick grin before she ran off. 

"Good morning Ms. Novak, good morning Castiel." The woman smiled a fake, cheesy smile and hurried past him. 

"You want to greet people with me? You don't have to shake hands, just say hello." Dean asked sheepishly. This feeling in his stomach kept getting stronger, but in a good way this time. 

"Sure, I'd really like that, besides even if they hate me, I still want to be friendly. Kill 'em with kindness right?" Dean bit his bottom lip, so his smile didn't spread across his whole face. 

Castiel took his spot beside Dean and as the rain lighted, they opened the doors and started to welcome the members inside. Most of the church goers ignored Castiel completely, but he still insisted on staying by Dean's side and saying hello to everyone who walked through the door. 

"Come on boys, Church's starting." Mary called from the doors that separated the foyer from the main chapel room. 

Dean walked hesitantly, dragging his feet. He knew this was going to be just as bad as last time, if not worse. He stopped Castiel as they reached the door. 

"I'm on your side remember. If you need something to think about, I hope that hanging out with your bestfriend after might help you focus on something better." It came out extremely jumbled and he scolded himself silently. He had been so tongue tied recently, but the other boy gave him a quick smile and held the door open.

Dean went straight to his seat, celebrating his small success. Plus, Castiel hadn't rejected the idea of being called his bestfriend. 

"Good morning everyone." Pastor John received several loud responses. 

"I was planing on doing a different sermon today, but God must have wanted to change my mind. This weather we've been having reminds me of the flood. Ya'll know which one I'm talking about. So we'll skip over that bit and go right to Ezekiel 25:17 which reads, 'I will execute great vengeance on them with wrathful rebukes. Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I lay my vengeance upon them." 

He paused making sure everyone was still with him, and Dean saw the tiniest but of shock on his face as he saw Castiel following along in the scripture. He held in a laugh. 

"Now, how does this tie in with the last lesson you may ask? Well I'll tell you. See the reason for the flood, was because the world had turned away from God. They had become evil, greedy, and homosexuals." He looked right at Castiel when he spoke. The boy still had a smile on his face, he was leaning forward paying full attention. 

Pastor John went on with his service and not once did Castiel's look of interest fade. He followed along with every scripture and met the pastor's eyes every time he looked up. 

"I'd like everyone to gather around up at the stage as we continue to pray for Castiel, to rid his body of the demon causing him to live in sin." Castiel practically skipped up to the stage as everyone got up to follow. 

"God, I thank you for making me who I am. Please give me strength and courage as I go through this journey. Amen." Castiel prayed aloud before Pastor John could continue. There was nothing wrong or disrespectful with his prayer, in fact it seemed completely genuine. However, if flames could come out of his father's ears, he's sure they would have. 

His father called everyone forward and he placed his hand on Castiel's head, squeezing tightly. Dean could see the grimace of pain that appeared as Castiel screwed his eyes shut; but he stayed strong and silent. 

The best word to describe how Dean felt about Castiel at this moment was admiration. He admired his will, and his faith; that he could change these people's minds. So they could see that he could be both gay and a Christian. 

The prayers ended and Dean could see an indentation on his friend's forehead, where his father's fingernail had dug in. The group was dismissed and his father pulled him to the side.

"Dean, I need you to do something for me. I need to know everything about that boy. I need to know what makes him tick. I need you to cozy up to him for me. Can you do that son?" Dean's heart had stopped when he was pulled aside. He thought he was about to be forbidden to talk to Castiel, but he had just been given permission to spend even more time with him, even if it was for a sick reason.

"Of course." He was trying to hid his excitement.

"Good, your mother and I are taking Ms. Novak to lunch. You boys can stay here and have a Bible study." Dean nodded vigorously. He received a satisfied look from his father and then was left alone in the room with Castiel.


	4. More then Friends

"So, I hear that we get to stay here and hang out." Castiel said as he closed the distance between them. 

"Yeah, how about we continue the tour?" Dean's stomach hadn't settled from the conversation with his father, but he pushed it down. He smiled and started into the foyer.

At the very end there was a locked door. He reached over to a table decorated with fake flowers and church pamphlets. Under the blue vase that held the cheep yellow and pink flowers was a key, that he used to unlock the door before sliding it back. 

Their were steep stairs leading up to a balcony that faced the stage in the main chapel.

"If we need to use the projector up here, it's my job to set it up. It use to be Sam's thing. He really enjoyed it." Dean climbed the stairs and went to stand by the projector. 

"Sam?" Castiel asked looking over the ledge. 

"My brother, he got accepted into a private boarding school. Not that it matters much, in two more months I'll be long gone." Dean had climbed onto a chair and pulled down the attic ladder. He held out his hand for Castiel to take. He hadn't even realized he had done it until he felt smooth, warm skin slide along his palm. 

Dean had never done that before, he didn't help people up or guide them by the hand; but here he was. Holding hands with Castiel. He forced himself to let go and started climbing, hoping the blush in his cheeks would fade before they got up. 

There was one stained glass window on this level that was visible on the front of the church, but it did shit all for lighting. Dean switched on the only light and Castiel was confused. It looked like a regular attic, with pink insulation and structural boards. He turned to Dean who had his hands behind his back and was rocking on his heels. 

"What am I missing?" Castiel finally asked. Dean turned with a smile and carefully walked across the boards to another platform that was meant to be stood on. 

Castiel followed and he saw a second door on the floor. Dean lifted it up and swung the ladder down before motioning for the other boy to go first. 

"This is the only way to get into this room. The only other door had been bricked over." It was completely dark and Castiel fumbled a bit until Dean got down and turned the lights on. 

"Sam and I found this together." Castiel looked around to see several rows of bunk beds. Barebone, with flimsy foam mattresses covered in blue plastic. 

"I think this is the room where they ran the homeless shelter out of. Now it's just a bunch of dusty beds and a bittersweet memory." Dean climbed up on one and laid down on his back, arms crossed under his head. 

"What memory?" Castiel climbed up and stood on the side of the bottom bunk so they were eye level when Dean turned to look at him. 

"I was fifteen, and my dad and I had just had a bad fight. I told him I was going to run away and he said go ahead. Then he quoted some scripture and left. Sam had walked in at that point and I told him I was going to hang out in here to cool down. When I got a text from Sam saying it was time to go, I told him to say he can't find me. I hid here for a week. Sam brought me food, and I would sneak out when I knew no one was around. Sam insisted that in order for him to keep my secret I had to do my schoolwork, which he brought to me. It was the smaller price to pay though, I couldn't sit down for a week after I finally went home." 

Dean stopped, noting he had been staring into those rich blue eyes. His mind told him to look away, but it could go screw itself because this was an amazing feeling and that tickle in his stomach had started up again. Hours could have gone by and he would still be lost in that blue. The flow of dark to light in color and the tiny flecks of life that danced within them. He pulled his eyes away after he was sure it had been too long since either of them had spoken, but Castiel's expression was soft. There was no uncomfortable tension in the air, just steady breathing.

"Dean, what did you mean you'll be gone in a few months?" 

There was silence as he considered his words carefully. That light tickle that had been dancing in his stomach was replaced by what felt like a kick in the gut. He didn't want to leave Castiel. He didn't want this feeling to end.

"When May rolls around and I get my diploma, I'm blowing town. I'm taking my Impala that my grandpa gave me and-" His cellphone rang.

He answered it and hung up within thirty seconds. 

"They're about five minutes away." 

 

~<3~

 

Dean's father had grilled him for information on the way home, but he said that he didn't have anything yet. John was annoyed but understood that it might take time. 

They only stayed home for a few hours before returning for the evening service. His father had a good amount of paperwork to attend to.

"Hey, can we take a walk?" Charlie had gotten there early because her mother was the church treasurer and had to go through the paperwork with John. Charlie was the second most important person in his life, right after Sam. 

The look on her face after the first sermon his dad had done on her was forever ground into his mind. The veins in her dark hazle eyes prominent but blurry from tears. She could hardly take her hands away from her face. Wither trying to rub the tears away or just hiding he didn't know.

The sermon was actually based on Charlie herself. Her mom had provided details of her every day life for him to use. With a fine tooth comb he laid all her 'sins' out for everyone to see. He made a freaking slide show out of her with each offence and a Bible verse to go with it. It only took a week before she 'had seen the error of her ways'.

Dean had know her for three years now. He knew happy Charlie, funny Charlie, depressed Charlie, serious Charlie; and the tone of her voice was definitely serious Charlie.

"Yeah, how about we go around back."

Once they were about halfway into the field Charlie stopped and turned to Dean. She looked extremely serious more so then he'd ever seen her, and it was starting to scare him.

"How do you feel about Castiel?" It seemed like an odd question. 

"He's cool, I like hanging out with him. I mean we're friends and-" He started fumbling his words not knowing exactly what to say. 

"Okay, well, I saw the way you were looking at him Wednesday night." 

"And?" 

"And it looked like you might want to be more then his friend." His brain froze, unsure if he should run, yell, or deny it. Charlie saw the loom of fear on his face and gently placed her hands on his arms. Partly for comfort and partly to keep him from bolting.

"You were the one who found me crying in the youth room three years ago. You hugged me and stroked my hair, and I remember your exact words, 'They can't pray away something God gave you. He made you this way for a reason. The only way out is through, and I'll be here whenever you need me, to help you through'." 

He started to relax a tiny bit under her fingers and she continued.

"I'm not saying anything, not using any labels, but it looked to me, that you like Castiel. I could be completely wrong, but if I'm not, it's my turn to help you through this." 

Tears filled his eyes at the realization as it finally hit him. That's what this feeling was. That tickle in his stomach, the protective instinct, wanting to share his secrets, all of that added up to the fact that he did have a crush on Castiel.

"What do I do?" His voice was low and he started to tear up. He immediately tried to stop. He couldn't go into the service looking like he'd been crying.

"I see a few options. You could hide it. Which I don't recommend, but it is your choice or you could tell him. I could help if you want." She let go of his arms and looked around, people were staring to show up for the service. 

"You don't have to pick now. There is no timeline on this, and remember I'll support you, no matter what." Dean nodded knowing that Charlie meant every word. 

"You're the best Charlie." 

"I know, now let's get inside." 

By the time they got back it was almost time to start. Castiel was standing by the entrance to the main chapel with a fearful look. Dean ran over and a wave of ease washed over the shorter boy. 

"I thought you ditched me." Castiel tried to joke, but Dean could hear the nervous tone hidden in his voice.

"Never. You okay to go in? I mean like, are you up for the fight? You still want to do that right?" More awkward phrasing, but he tripped over less words this time.

"Definitely, and I feel even more 'up for it' now that I know you'll be there." Dean's mother walked over and gave them both an annoyed look. The boys both walked swiftly inside and took their seats. 

Dean sat down thoughts spinning through his head. Castiel hadn definitely just picked on him using his quote, but it was really playful. Was that a flirt, or just playful banter? Then he basically said that him being there gave him more strength to fight. Dean's heart did a backflip as his father took the stage. 

"It's good to see you all tonight! If you're happy to be here say amen!"

"Amen!" There was a loud shout from the room.

"I'm happy to be here too. Let's get started on tonight's lesson shall we? Open your Bibles to Luke 13:3, which reads, 'No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish'." Here we go again. Dean turned to look at Castiel. He was following along and looked genuinely interested, maybe he was. Maybe he was trying to interrupt the lesson in a different way, or maybe it's all just part of the act. Either way it was working. His father stopped to watch Castiel carefully.

"The message tonight is that everyone must repent for their sins." 

The service lasted about twenty minutes longer then it should have, because of the church announcements. Next Sunday night the church was holding a potluck instead of a normal service. 

Castiel was called up again to be prayed for. He got up quickly and stood at his usual spot.

"Lord, thank you for making me who I am, and help me to overcome the trials I'm facing. Help me to be strong. Amen." Castiel's prayer was louder this time and Dean couldn't help but smile. He's doing exactly what he said, fighting, but the right way, to show you can be gay and a Christian. 

John started to grind his teeth as people gathered around Castiel. Dean planted himself directly behind him laying both his hands on each of Castiel's shoulders in a show of support. His shoulders loosened under Dean's touch and both of them knew they were in this together.


	5. Texting

"We're leaving in ten minutes." Dean's mom informed him before leaving to mingle with the few stragglers that were left in the foyer. Castiel walked over and smiled at Dean. 

"Your dad and my mother are in his office discussing my progress." Castiel chuckled. 

"Well, we got ten minutes. Let's take a walk." They started walking towards the parking lot and when they were out of ear shot Dean stopped and turned to Cas. 

"My dad told me to buddy up to you. He wants me to figure out how he can get to you. You're the first person to fight back this hard and it's getting to him." Castiel was silent, with a look of concentration. Dean had expected a little bit of a stronger reaction, but at lease he didn't seem upset. 

"We'll need to find something to tell him then." That wasn't even close to what Dean expected but it was an awesome response.

"I should be able to stall until Wednesday."

"That'll work." Their parents exited the church and were headed their way. 

"See you Wednesday?" Castiel asked. 

"Definitely." 

 

~<3~

 

Wednesday night Castiel showed up just before youth group started. He met Dean at the door and they took their seats up front. 

"Hello everyone." Lucifer took the stage looking at everyone and smiling. He didn't give off the same cloud of hate that other pastors did but, he was rather stiff, hiding any personality behind a thick wall of concrete. 

"Who'd like to go first to share their Bible quiz?" Castiel raised his hand. Dean wasn't sure why it surprised him, he seemed well versed and thoughtful when it came to the Bible. 

"Alright, I've brought pens and paper just incase." He handed them out before continuing.

"I'm going to read a list. If you partake or do the thing I've said write yes, if not write no. The purpose of this quiz is to find out how many sins you might not even realize your committing. I've added a few random things in just to keep you on your toes. " 

Everyone sat ready, waiting. Lucifer stood against the wall arms crossed, smiling.

"Do you wear gold?" The sound of scribbles filled the room. He waited until everyone looked back up to continue. 

"Do you eat bacon?" Again he paused. "Do you wear clothes with rips or holes in them? I have this old t-shirt with a few holes I like to do yardwork in. So any type of hole counts." He looked up at the mix of faces, Dean was staring up, smiling at him.

"Anyone ever spread a rumor? Even a small one. Do you like seafood? I've tried a few things, but I really only like crab."

"I love lobster, with some butter sauce- it's amazing." Kevin spoke up. Castiel smiled in approval.

"Anyone ever wait until Sunday to do their homework? Last one, do you like to eat fast food? I'm talking the greasy, fatty good stuff." 

He waited until everyone was finished and looked out over the crowd, who seemed pretty intrested.

"I didn't actually add any non-sins in there. According to Leviticus, all of those are sins." He looked back at Lucifer's neutral expression, before sitting back down.

"That was different, but I enjoyed it. Whose next?" 

 

~<3~

 

The rest of the night was filled with laughs, Dean had done a 'which of these is an actual Bible verse' quiz and it was really funny. At the very end they did headphone karaoke. Everyone picked a song and sung with headphones on so they couldn't hear themselves. Charlie had won and was given a box of gummy candy as a prize. She ended up sharing anyway. 

"Oh, last thing before you go." Lucifer grabbed a baseball hat from the coffee table. 

"This week's homework will be with groups of two. You'll be given a passage and together you'll come up with the overall message." Charlie jumped up wanting first pick.

"That works. Let's let the girls pick first." Lucifer held the hat out.

"Alex." She announced. The dark haired girl smiled and joined her at the front of the room. Claire picked next.

"Kevin." He jumped up, and everyone looked at the last two boys. Dean gave Cas a light punch on the shoulder.

"Alright." Lucifer took out several pieces of paper and started handing them out. He placed the last one in Castiel's hand.

"I saved this one for your group. I hope you have as much fun with this as you did last week's homework." Castiel looked down and read it.

 

John: 37-39

All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of Him who sent me. And this is the will of Him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those He has given me, but raise them up at the last day.

 

"I think Lucifer might be up to something; and I think I like it." Dean smiled after reading it himself. 

"I do as well. I know we'll have time tonight during choir practice, but maybe we should exchange numbers." There went the feeling in Dean's stomach again. He decided that it was probably what people called 'butterflies'.

"Good idea." Cas took out his phone and gave it to Dean.

Dean Winchester :)  
863-555-3303 

Cas smiled and looked down after reading it over. 

"Here, let me text you so you have mine." 

-You had better put a smiley face next to my name too-

Dean chuckled and they both noticed that the room was empty. Maybe that was happening so much because it was hard to pay attention to anything else when he was talking to Cas. Dean turned as his father entered the room. 

"Just came to let you know that we will be later then normal. How are you, Castiel?" His name sounded dirty on his father's tongue.

"I'm well. I'm really enjoying youth group." He smiled genuinely as he stood up.

"Our homework is in groups this week. Cas and I got paired up." His dad pursued his lips. 

"I'm sure Dean will guide you through it." He looked at Castiel, before turning and marching out. 

"You good?" Dean asked.

"Yeah." 

"How about we head over to the pool to start this?" Cas smiled ar his suggestion and the started out the door.

 

~<3~

 

"It's pretty straight forward." Dean and Cas were sitting in the pool across from each other. 

"God turns no one away." Dean added.

"There's a little more to it, it's also saying that it's God's will that no one should be turned away."

"I like that phrasing better. Sounds more sophisticated. I bet you do great in school." Dean was starting to get nervous now that the homework was done.

"I don't like to brag, but I have a 3.9 GPA. I'm homeschooled though; online mostly." He looked around, trying to look anywhere else but at Dean. 

"A 3.9 is a 3.9. You could get into a decent amount of colleges with that." Cas felt his his cheeks start to warm. 

"Do you want to go to college? I don't even know what grade your in." 

"I'm a Senior, but I'm still seventeen. When I was a Junior my mother found out I was gay. So she pulled me out of public school. With the way homeschooling works I just did extra work so I could graduate early, but I still have to wait for this school year to end before it's official." 

"I'm sorry about the stuff with your mom, but it's cool you get to be done with school early." 

"I was hoping that maybe I'd be able to go away early to college, but with things being the way they are, it'd be an real miracle. I actually have two scholarships, so I wouldn't have to rely on anyone to pay for school." Castiel finally let his eyes rest back on Dean's face.

"That's so awesome. What are you going to go for?"

"Major in Religious studies, and I haven't really thought too much about a minor. What about you?" Cas leaned forward and rested his chin in his hands, elbows on his knees.

"I'd really like to refurbish old cars. I'll have to start ar the bottom though, auto mechanic probably. Not that my family will support that." There was a ring from Dean's pocket.

"We got five minutes. We should get to the parking lot." They stood at the same time and Cas tripped over a wrinkle in the plastic. He fell to the left, but Dean dove for him and ended up catching him by the waist. He managed to spin him up and around and when they were finally standing fully up, Cas had his hands on Dean's arms where he'd grabbed him, Dean's hand's still locked on the other boys hips.

They were face to face, a hairs breath from their noses touching. Neither of them moved as both of them stood panting, trying to catch their breath. 

Cas was the first to pull away and Dean snapped out of the trance that was Cas' eyes. 

"We- um- better get out of here." Castiel just nodded, still breathing hard.

They got to the parking lot and Castiel's mother was the first to arrive. She smiled at Dean before getting in the car.

"Do you like to text? That is- is it okay if I text you?" Dean fumbled.

"I don't normally like to, but I'll make an exception." That could definitely have been a flirt.

 

~<3~ 

 

The drive home was slow and Dean decided to go to bed early. He finished his nightly route before climbing into bed at ten. He plunged his phone in and passed out. 

A chime ring out from his phone startling him awake. He looked at the time, squinting at the bright light; 2:37 AM.

-Are you up?- 

It was Cas. His first thought was to say, 'I am now', but that was not something he was going to say to Cas, that was something he would say to any other friend, but it reassured him that Cas is different; special. If Cas was texting him this late something was up.

-Yeah, what's wrong.- 

-Nightmares.-

-Sorry, wanta talk about it?- 

-Mostly they're about my mother. She's not exactly against corporate punishment.- 

-Shit.- Dean typed, he didn't know what else to say. 'I'm sorry' didn't seem good enough.

-Didn't take you as someone who cursed lol-

-I don't a lot, but sometimes the situation calls for it. Wanta keep texting until you fall asleep?- 

-I'd really like that. :) - Dean smiled.


	6. Standing Up

Sunday morning came around and Dean was determined to find a way to flirt with Cas. When they were alone of course, but that's have to wait, because his father took him by the shoulders and lead him into his office. When he closed the door behind them Dean knew this was serious.

"I need to know what you've found out." He sat behind his desk and motioned for his son to sit as well. 

"He's homeschooled and really smart." Dean tried to think on his feet, not knowing what was okay to tell him.

"And?" His dad pushed.

"And he wants to go to college for religious studies. He's very dedicated to his Bible studies." 

"I can't use any of that, Dean. You need to get more personal information, something I can use to break him down." Dean's heart stopped. He knew his dad had done some crazy stuff, but this is next level messed up. He nodded as he stood and retreated towards the door. 

"Hello, Dean-" Cas saw him enter the foyer and stopped when he saw the look on the other boy's face. "Dean, are you okay?" 

"I don't think so."

"We've got twenty minutes, let's take a walk." Dean noticed Cas reach out like he was about to take his hand, but he hesitated and pulled back. 

They ducked into the gym after making sure that no one was watching. Both sat down in the beanbags and Cas waited for Dean to speak, not wanting to rush him. 

"My dad asked for info that he could use to break you." He whispered, but he couldn't look at Cas. Then he felt a hand on his knee. 

"Okay, so we give him a little bit. If I know what's coming I can prepare for it. I can even back some things up with scripture." He kept his hand on Dean's leg, and it made him fell safe. 

"Okay."

"I have an older brother; Gabriel. He's twenty two and he's an extremely flamboyant, loud and proud, gay diva type. My mother kicked him out when he was sixteen. I'm not allowed to see him, or contact him. You can't tell him this part, but I do call him a few times a year on holidays and his birthday. We both miss each other a lot." Dean leaned forward and pulled him into a hug. 

"I'm supposed to be comforting you." Cas squeezed back.

"Shut up and enjoy the hug." Dean laughed.

"I am enjoying the hug." Okay, not a flirt technically, but it still made the butterflies come back. He really needs to get better at this.

"Me too." Cas pulled back and checked his phone. He showed it to Dean and they started back.

 

~<3~

 

"Good morning church!" His father stood behind the pulpit. The people in the pews gave a greeting back. "Are ya'll ready to hear the word of God this morning?" There was another group answer of Hallelujah and Amen.

"Let's turn our Bibles to first Philippians 4:13 with reads: I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." He paused looking up at the crowd. 

"I'm sure you've all heard this before. It's a very popular and powerful verse. God is saying that he has the power to help you. You can do anything through him." He pointed at Charlie in the front row.

"This young woman over came the disease of homosexuality!" There were cheers and John stepped down to walk over to Castiel. 

"Do you have God in your heart young man?" He pulled him up by the arm.

"I do, but you are misinterpreting the verse." Cas smiled gently as the room went silent. 

"Young man, I'm a Pastor and-" Castiel pulled his Bible up to read.

" 'I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who strengthens me.' Verses ten to thirteen." Cas stopped to look up and if it weren't for the adrenaline and the look of pure joy on Dean's face he would have stopped.

"A lot of people make the mistake of interpreting this verse wrong. This verse refers to perseverance. The passage gets its meaning amongst the context of the verses you left out. Paul, who wrote this passage, was sharing that he’d learned to be content in all circumstances; whether he was in prison, hungry, poor, full, and so on. He was not writing to the church at Philippi that he could “achieve” anything, he was writing that he could “endure” anything through Him who strengthens. That is a fundamental difference." The church remained silent and this was probably going to be the last time he would be allowed to talk to whole church like this, so he decided why not?

"Say you're given a trial, say there's a bully whose trying to beat you down, the verse is intended to let you know with God you can get through it; not that you can, say, beat him up or bully him back. If you turn to Romans 15:13 it says, 'May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.' If you look at these two verses together, you could look at it as even when times get rough, if you trust God he will give you hope." He smiled and gently closed his Bible before sitting back down. 

When he looked over at Dean, he was sporting an open mouthed smile and Cas couldn't tell if he was trying to hold back a laugh or just trying to figure out how to function again. 

"Well that is a very interesting, yet rather odd way to look at it." John finally spoke up. He cleared his throat and noticed that they were just halfway done with his normal time frame. He gritted his teeth as he walked back on stage. 

"It's a little odd to hear someone with a demon in his life so familiar with God's word, but we must remember Ephesians 5:6, which reads: Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience." He shuffled his papers, but when he looked back up he saw Castiel had stood up again.

"If you're reply is Ephesians 5:6, it doesn't really fit in the debate. I backed my point up with scripture, by giving a bigger picture with the context." John was fuming.

"Castiel, I assure you that I use the verses I use for a purpose. I'm the shepherd trying to guide you to the point I'm trying to make." 

"If your point is backed up with unrelated scripture, it has no support and your point falls through, Paster Winchester." Dean could almost see the steam coming out of his father's ears. 

"I think it's time to lay hands on Castiel and continue to drive this demon out. As you follow him up to the stage I'd like to remind Castiel about Hebrews 13:17, 'Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you'." 

Castiel moved to his normal spot and spoke in a whisper.

"First John 4:1 says 'Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.' All leaders, despite their age, can be misleading." Dean had caught the last bit of Castiel's sentence and placed his hands firmly on his crush's back as the crowd gathered around. 

Dean gave a light squeeze and if he didn't know better he could have sworn he felt Cas lean into the touch. John's hand flew palm first onto Cas' forehead. Dean actually felt the force from of it with his grip on Cas. 

Cas didn't even flinch as the pastor's hand made contact. He did lower his head as John began to speak in tongues. Dean could feel Cas tense up. Not everyone believes in the phenomenon, but those who do know how special it is. It's not just something that happens before you even begin prayer. Dean leaned in so only Cas could hear him.

"You were so awesome. No one's ever done anything like that. If you can stand up to him I know you will prove him wrong." 

The praying lasted a full twenty minutes before John called it to an end.

"Do you feel it Castiel? Can you feel the demon leaving?" He put on his signature Pastor voice. 

"I feel God giving me strength and courage." His voice was calm and Dean believed him. If anyone deserved God's help it was Cas. He tried to be good, he prayed and studied regularly. He's the definition of devotion. 

Dean was the last to remove his hands from Cas, giving him one last squeeze. Everyone went back to their seats.

"Before we go, I'd like to remind everyone that the potluck dinner is tonight. We have a list of who's bringing food, but if the Lord touches you and you feel the need to contribute we'd be glad for the extra. I also just want to remind everyone that the church car was is this Wednesday. Our youth group is hosting it as a fundraiser to go towards their activities." He dismissed them and Dean walked over to Cas and Ms. Novak.

"I'd like to speak with the pastor. I'll meet you outside in five minutes." She didn't even look at her son as she walked away.

"Are you going to the potluck tonight?" Dean asked as they started walking.

"Yeah, my mom never turns down free food. I even made a pie." 

"Pies are my favorite; if I didn't know any better I'd think you're trying to impress me." They reached the parking lot and Cas leaned against his mother's car and crossed his arms.

"Maybe I am." There was no way for Dean to hide his blush. It went from the tips of his ears to the bottom of his neck. He sucked in a deep breath. No one could mistake that for anything other then a flirt; but he didn't even have time to react because Ms. Novak strolled up and glared at her son.

"We're leaving. You can see your friend again tonight. Now get in the car." Dean could see the disappointment in his eyes. He'd really wanted to hear what he would have said back.

Ms. Novak turned to Dean after Cas shut his door.

"Your father told me that you're on our side. I'd like to help, and if you need anything from me let me know. I'll make sure to let you have plenty of time to spend with my son." Her voice held venom, her expression cold and it sent a chill down Dean's spine.

He nodded and she turned to get in the car. He looked and saw that Cas had been watching them, but his mother had her back to the car. Even if he could read lips he wouldn't have had a chance to figure out what was said. 

Dean held Cas' gaze and tried to give a reassuring smile as the car pulled out. They both held eye contact until they couldn't see each other anymore.


	7. The potluck

Dean jumped out of the side of the van and ran around back. He opened the back door and pulled out a box containing four watermelons. He'd gone to a local vegetable sand and picked them up for tonight. If Cas made a pie, then Dean would bring watermelon. 

He went to the dining hall, and headed straight for the kitchen in the back to cut the fruit up. The hall wasn't anything special, in another life, it was a soup kitchen. It's mostly used for wedding receptions and church functions now. 

The kitchen needs a lot of work, most of the outlets are fickle at best and there are cracks in the counters and walls, but it's kept clean and it's still functional enough. The actual dining room is pretty worse for wear. The maroon carpet has a good bit of threads coming up, and the wall paper has started to peel at the top. There are also missing crystals in the two cheap chandeliers. 

The fold out tables and chairs are steady though, and the black piano in the corner may be chipped, but it still sounds beautiful. 

As soon as Dean opened the door he found several church members rushing about preparing dinner. An older woman, who for the life of him he couldn't remember her name, walked up. Her face was all business and he could tell he was not welcome here. 

"I brought-" 

"Watermelons, yes I can see that. I'll take them and you can go set up the serving tables." Dean sighed as she took his box and shot him a look. He turned on his heels and almost ran out. 

Dean ducked out the back door and started to the gym when someone slammed into his side. He got a face full of red hair and chuckled as he steadied Charlie and himself.

"Charlie 'the awesome' Bradbury reporting for table duty." She bumped her hip into his again. Dean rolled his eyes as he held the door for her. 

"Sooo?" She said in a sing song tone.

"Sooo?" He teased back. 

"Don't hold out on me! I know you two have been inseparable these last few weeks! What's going on? I want every juicy detail." They had climbed the steps and began lifting the long fold out tables. 

"He's flirting with me." Dean turned his head to hide his blush but Charlie dropped her end of the table to run over to him. 

"Wait! He's flirting with you? Did you tell him or-" 

"No, he started it, and I'm working myself up to telling him." She had her hands on his shoulders and started jumping up and down. "But we should get these tables put up before we get in trouble."

"Fine, party pooper. But I demand to be kept up to date!" They started walking the tables downstairs. Dean stuck his tough out as they exited the gym.

 

~<3~

 

People started showing up at six, even though the dinner didn't start officially until six thirty. Dean was sent on errands, from setting out silverware to setting up the sound system. He didn't mind though, doing things made time go faster, and before he knew it Cas walked through the double doors holding a golden crusted pie. 

Dean had to hold himself back from running over. He smiled and just as he was about to head over a firm hand gripped his shoulder. 

"I'd like to talk to you Dean." His father had a scowl that sent shivers down his spine. He nodded as John lead him into the kitchen. 

"You've had plenty of time to collect information." 

"I do have one thing. Castiel has a brother, Gabriel. He's gay." John sighed. 

"That's all you could get?" He pinched the bridge of his nose. 

"Yes, but I'm still not sure why you're having me do this." 

"Second Thessalonians 3:15, 'Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.' How can we warn him if we can't get through to him?" John looked around noticing how many people had arrived. He waved him off and Dean bolted toward the dining room. 

He saw Castiel sitting by Charlie at a table in the back. He knew that Charlie wouldn't do anything that would mess this up, but it still put his stomach in a knot. Cas noticed him as soon as Dean started towards the table. 

"Hello Dean, Charlie was just telling me about her experience as one of John's success stories." A deep grimace spread across Dean's face, and Cas reached out to put his hand on the other boy's arm. 

"Not in a bad way. It was more of a warning, and I think it'll be very helpful." He pulled his hand back and smiled at Charlie. 

"Welcome everyone!" John's voice filled the room as he spoke into the microphone. Everyone stopped to listen.

"I'm so glad ya'll could join us tonight for some good old fashioned fellowship. I'd like to remind our young people about the lock in next Sunday night, in honour of school letting out. What better way to start Summer with friends studying the Word of God. Before we start I'd like to say a prayer. Lord, please bless the food to our bodies, and our bodies to your service. I also ask that you help Castiel to rid himself of the demon that grows stronger in his body. And all the church said?" 

The room filled with shouts of Amen. Charlie stood up and smiled at both boys.

"What are you guys waiting for? Let's eat!" Dean waited for Cas to stand before heading over to the serving line. 

"See anything you like?" Dean grabbed a paper plate and started to look over his choices. 

"A few things. I'm definitely going to have a lot of that watermelon at the end." Dean stopped scooping mashed potatoes to turn and smile.

"I brought those." He moved to take a slice of the honey baked ham. 

"So, maybe I'm not the only one of us trying to impress the other?" Cas kept his eyes down as he took a serving of green beans. 

"Maybe you're not." Dean made his was to the dessert table, but decided that he'd come back for the pie. With Cas on his heels they went back to the table. Charlie had relocated to sit with Kevin across the room, which Dean appreciated. 

Dean sat and when Cas chose to sit next to him rather then across the butterflies returned to his stomach, but he was too hungry to let that stop him from eating. 

Dean started in on his mashed potatoes when he felt a bump on his arm. Cas was eating with his left hand and had a sly smile on as he brushed his arm against Dean's in a very 'non-accidental way'. Dean's hair stood as goosebumps rose on his skin, making Cas chuckle. 

"I can scoot over if you like." Dean could tell he was serious, but there was a tiny gleam of fear the he might actually say yes. 

"It's fine; you're fine." As awkward as it came out it still sounded good and even got a blush out of the other boy.

"I have a question." Cas said.

"Shoot." Dean mumbled with his mouth full.

"Do you believe in God?" Dean dropped his plastic fork and turned his head. 

"That's a pretty deep question." He said locking his eyes on the crystal blue of Cas'. 

"If you don't want-" 

"No, I mean- I'm not sure you'll like my answer." Dean dipped his head hoping that it would somehow help him hide his feelings. 

"It's not a right or wrong answer, Dean. It's just something I was wondering." Cas brushed their arms again in a comforting gesture.

"Alright; yes, but there's a lot I question. I don't understand how God could love everyone, or so the Bible says, and still hate people, or damn people for the tiniest things." 

"Did you know that the translators of the King James version Bible were untrained in Koine Greek?" Dean shook his head. 

"Yep, and if you actually go back and look at some of the original Greek text, they got a good bit wrong or at least less the adequate." Dean raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"There were also books that have been added and removed since the "original Bible" was finished. Can I tell you a little theory of mine?" Dean nodded.

"The book of Leviticus was basically a set of laws that were supposed to keep Christians away and separate from other religions. There were Pagans who would cut their hair as a sign of their faith. Which is where Leviticus 19:27 comes in, 'You shall not round off the hair on your temples or mar the edges of your beard'. So it's not actually the act of cutting your hair that's wrong, it's if you cut your hair as a symbol of a different religion, that makes it wrong. Still following?" Dean had stopped eating all together and Cas had his full attention.

"There were these people called the Ammonites, and they had male prostitutes for their different gods. When they wanted something from that God they would have sex with the prostitutes. So again it's not the act of having gay sex, it's the act of doing it for the wrong purposes. So add that together with what I said before and you can really start to question a lot." 

"So what you're saying, is the Bible is really wrong about a lot of things?" Dean picked his fork back up but realized his food had gone cold. 

"No, I'm just saying that you should take some verses with a grain of salt." Dean nodded.

"How about we drop the series talk and go grab some dessert?" Cas stood with a smile. Dean jumped up to follow him.

"I can not wait to dig into that pie!" 

 

~<3~

 

Turns out the pie was a mix of berries; blue berries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries. It was a mix that Dean hadn't tried before and he had three slices before Cas playfully told him to save some for other people.

"Besides, I can always bake you more." Cas added with a wink.

Eight thirty rolled around too quickly, but Ms. Novak was glad to offer Castiel's assistance with the clean up. After the first five minutes all the other volunteers made excuses to leave and Dean ended up alone with Cas. 

The the food had been packed, the tables were wiped and folded back up. The last thing on the list was to clean up the kitchen.

"You want to wash or dry?" Dean asked throwing a dish towel over his shoulder. 

"I'll wash." Cas took his place and plunged his hands into the warm soapy water, splashing both of them in the process. 

"Hey!" Dean laughed and grabbed a handful of bubbles that floated on top of the water. He then proceeded to dump them on Cas' head. 

"We're not going to get this done if we don't get to work." Cas said, backing up just incase. 

"Yeah, but I don't mind spending the extra time with you." Dean bit his lip and quickly turned back to the sink. 

He was digging himself into a hole; one he might not be able to get out of. He'd been so caught up in the butterflies and feelings that he hadn't actually given any thought as to what consequences, whether good or bad, might be.

How would this affect him in the long run. He'd followed his heart and Charlie's advice without a second thought. What exactly was he doing? Where was this going? Where did he want this to go?

"Hey, you okay?" He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up nodding with a fake smile. Cas saw through it immediately. 

"Talk to me Dean, please." 

"I was just thinking about things." Dean nodded to the sink and Cas started to wash the dishes.

"That's not very specific." He handed over a cup. 

"I want to leave, or planned on leaving in a few weeks." Dean could feel Cas tense up beside him, but he kept a steady rhythm as he washed.

"Okay." Cas kept his eyes on the sink.

"I'm thinking about maybe changing that. I mean if I had a reason to stick around. I know I'm still moving out as soon as I get my diploma. I've got some money saved up, and I told myself I'd live out of my car if I had to, but, maybe if I had a reason to stick around-" Cas had been leaning in as he spoke until their faces were inches away. 

Dean held his breath not knowing exactly what to do. He knew what he wanted to do, but the risk-

"Cas, we can't." His blue eyes grew wide with shock and regret. Cas took a few steps back.

"Oh, shit. I'm so sorry Dean. I thought-." He held his hands up in a surrender position, letting the sentence fad on his lips. Dean felt a crack in his heart.

"No, it's not that -" the front door to the dining hall clicked open and both boys jumped back into their work before Pastor John and Ms. Novak rounded the corner. 

"Looks like you've done a decent job in here." John said with no emotion . Dean placed the last dish on the rack and handed Cas the towel to dry his hands.

"Castiel, what is that in your hair?" His mother's tone was sharp and shrill. Dean looked up and though most of the bubbles had soaked into the dark hair, there were a few left.

"That's my fault actually. I accidentally dropped a pot in the sink and it splashed up." Dean jumped in as Cas reached up to fix the bubbles. Ms. Novak squinted her eyes at him, but excepted the explanation. 

"I'll see you at the car wash right?" Dean called as Cas walked behind his mother to the door.

"Definitely."


	8. Definitely

\- I forgot to ask about what your dad said earlier. Something about a lock in?- 

Dean read the text. It was almost a nightly thing now. If Cas couldn't sleep he'd text Dean, and Dean would turn his phone volume all the way up to make sure he heard it.

-It an annual thing. Every first Sunday night after the end of the school year we have a lock in.-

Dean replied. He hoped and feared their conversation from earlier would come up.

-That sounds fun :)- 

-It'll be more fun if I knew you'd be there.- 

Maybe he shouldn't have said that. Shit.

-I will be. Goodnight Dean.- 

-Night Cas.-

Dean's heart sank, maybe the whole thing was a mistake. If he wasn't brave enough to bring it up, and Cas didn't, maybe they were just going to stay friends. 

 

~<3~

 

The last official day of school was the Tuesday before the car wash. Not that it really made since to end on a Tuesday, but it was over and Dean would never have to walk through those doors again. He stayed up late that night texting Cas, both extremely excited for the car wash tomorrow.

~<3~

Dean and his parents arrived at noon, but he was use to spending most of his Summers at the church. Only today instead of looking forward to going home, he was looking forward to seeing Cas. 

Lucifer showed up at two with poster boards, soap, buckets sponges and everything else they could need. Within the next thirdly minutes everyone else had arrived for set up. 

Dean was sitting on the sidewalk in his blue swim trunks and a white T-shirt. He was writing CAR WASH in bold black letters, which stood out well against the neon yellow. 

Without warning Cas dropped down beside him and Dean jumped back in surprise. 

"Warn a guy will ya?" Dean laughed trying to catch his breath. Cas looked down at the sign with a frown.

"I ruined it." He sighed pointing out the line Dean had made when he jumped. 

"It's not ruined, look." With a few curves Dean turned the word CAR into cursive writing. "See, it's better this way. It looks fancy." Cas playfully punched him in the shoulder as Lucifer called everyone over.

"Here's the game plan. Claire and Alex, you go to the street and hold the signs. Charlie, Dean and Cas will wash, and Kevin and I will dry. Questions? Good! Let's go!" 

The sisters grabbed the two signs up and ran to the sidewalk to start drawing a crowd. Buckets were set up, the hose was attached and all there was left to do was wait.

"Hellooo." Charlie squeezed herself between the boys wrapping an arm around their shoulders. She was wearing a two peice black swim suit, which was quite modest for being a two peice. Dean rolled his eyes at her, but Cas flinched at first before becoming stiff. 

"Ready to get wet?" She jumped for the hose after realizing she'd made Cas uncomfortable. 

"Wait you're not going to spray us?" Dean looked over to Lucifer who just shrugged with a sly smile. Charlie aimed for Dean and he couldn't get out if the way in time. His white shirt clung to his torso and he wiped the water from his eyes just in time to see her aim at Cas.

"Noooo!" He shouted dramatically as he jumped in front of Cas, exactly like they did in the movies. It didn't work, but everyone got a laugh out of it. 

"My hero." Cas whispered as everyone else watched the first car pull in. Dean turned to look at Cas but he was already a few feet away, sponge at the ready. 

The cars started rolling in and by the second one they were working like a well oiled machine. Charlie would start in the front, the boys each had a side, and they met at the back. 

"You didn't!" Cas shrieked playfully after Charlie snuck up behind him and rang a clean sponge out over his already soaked head.

It had only taken a few hours for Cas to settle in with the group, and he had even gotten into a water fight when a second hose was brought out. 

"As long as you keep me out of it I won't spoil the fun." Lucifer had told them earlier in the day. 

Charlie took Dean by the wrist and hauled him off to the side when Kevin started a conversation with Cas.

"I want details now! You two have been giggling all day!" She whisper yelled. Dean looked around quickly to make sure no one was listening. 

"He still flirting with me. I've been trying to flirt back; I'm not sure I'm really good at it though. We almost kissed, but I screwed it up like I do everything else." 

"Hey, you do not screw everything up. Plus, he's still giving you gogo eyes. I don't think what ever you did could be that bad." She put her hand on his shoulder and gave him a half smile. 

"We were alone after the potluck, and we had been going back and forth with, like- playful banter, just acting silly and then I started thinking. Hard core, how will this affect me thinking, and I pulled back when he tried to kiss me. We haven't talked about it, like it never happened." Dean sighed as a new car pulled in.

"If I know anything about you, Dean Winchester, it's that you don't give up." She tossed a towel at him and ran to start on the car.

 

~<3~

 

Dean and Cas were sitting on a beach towel in the grass, both soaked head to toe in soapy water. The cars slowed down significantly around six and the sun was getting low. 

"I went to school here for eighth grade." Dean noticed Cas was staring at the two old school buildings on the edge of the property. Cas turned his attention to him with a look of fascination.

"That was the year we came here. The last Paster had this scandalous affair and the church lost a lot of members. That's why my dad was brought in." Dean leaned back using his hands for support behind him. Cas copied him and their hands brushed, but neither of them moved. 

"Why did you pull away?" Dean looked around after he heard the whisper. Lucifer, Charlie, and Alex we sitting around a box of pizza that they ordered for the youth group's dinner. Kevin and Claire were out front with the signs; not ready to give up just yet.

"I needed some time to think, and I'd really hate for someone to catch us during our first kiss." 

"You do want to have a first kiss then?" Cas looked over at him with pleading eyes. Holding his heart out for Dean to take or destroy.

"Definitely." Dean bit his lip and Cas chuckled. 

"What?" Dean asked. He was giddy with excitement, but this was a serious moment, and Cas' laughter didn't seem to fit in the conversation. 

"I think that's become a thing with us hasn't it? Definitely?" Dean thought back and let out a small laugh himself. 

"Yeah actually, I guess it has." They smiled at each other and Cas ran his pinky finger gently over the back of Dean's hand. 

"Alright boys." Neither of them had seen Lucifer walk up and their hearts jumped out of their chests. What had he seen?!

"We're packing it up. After we get everything put away, I'll announce our total fundraiser amount." He turned quickly and walked away. 

"Do you think he saw anything?" Dean whispered, still holding his breath. Cas leaned forward and bumped Dean with his shoulder as he stood.

"Think he'd have a good bit more if he did." Cas reached down to help Dean up. Dean pulled away after leaving their hands intertwined a second more then appropriate.

"As much as I enjoy these small touches, I think it'll be safer if we try to do them when we're alone." Dean sighed leaning over to grab the towel. When he looked up Cas nodded but his face was crestfallen.

 

After the buckets were cleaned and the supplies put away the group gathered around Lucifer. He held a metal cash box and smiled as he looked at each face. 

"We made," he paused for dramatic affect. "$175 dollars!" A few cheers rang out and Charlie jumped up and down. 

"What does it go towards?" Cas asked.

"Well, we'll use $100 of it for the lock in, and save the rest for other special events." Lucifer closed the box.

Parents had started arriving about twenty minutes ago and were sat around talking in the foyer. There was a stack of towels on the glass table directly beside the double doors. When they were one short Dean insisted Cas have his. He only let Cas refuse once and no one said anything about it.

"See you Sunday." Dean called as Cas followed his mother out.

"Definitely."

 

~<3~

 

Dean got up early Sunday morning and decided to give his mom a break and make breakfast. He threw some bacon in a pan and whipped up some scrambled eggs with cheese. 

His mother came down first and she sucked in a deep breath.

"Morning mom." Dean smiled over. 

"Good morning Dean, may I take over?" Her voice was slightly rushed.

"I've got it." He smiled as he heard his John walk in. His mother's face turned pale. 

"What are you doing at the stove son?" 

"I thought I'd give mom a break. I even put cheese in the eggs." Dean turned to his mom who was almost shaking.

"I'll let her take over." He stepped back, he hadn't seen this look on his father's face before. Normally he was either emotionless, in church mode or upset. This face was cold; a scary calm.

"That's where women belong Dean, behind the stove. You should never have to cook for yourself." John turned and walked out.

"What was that about?" Dean asked stepping aside.

"Your father's been agitated lately. Everything is fine, Dean." He knew it wasn't.

 

~<3~

 

Ms. Novak and Cas were waiting outside the front door when they pulled in. This couldn't be good. 

"Dean, stay in the car until I go inside." John's voice rumbled right before slamming the door. Mary turned to look at her son.

"I think it'd be a good idea to distance yourself from that Novak boy. I know your father asked you to get close to him, but I don't want you to get hurt." He was about to ask what she meant but she opened her door and jumped out before he could even open his mouth. 

It took all of thirty seconds for everyone except Cas to go inside and Dean slid the door to the van open vilently. Cas walked over slowly and met Dean in the middle of the parking lot. 

"What's wrong?" Dean tried to keep his voice down. 

"Can we go for a walk?" Cas didn't sound like himself. Dean nodded.

"Where?" 

"The homeless shelter room." Dean tried not to run as he made his way into the foyer. His father's office door was closed and his mother was in the main room straightening Bibles in the back of the pews.

He grabbed the key, opened the door, and in under two minutes they were climbing down the attic stairs. Dean pulled Cas into his arms and felt a wet spot form on his shoulder. 

"What happened?" Dean nuzzled into the other boys soft hair. 

"I mouthed off to my mom. She said something about sending me to one of those 'Pray the Gay Away' camps. We had a huge fight." Dean lead them over to the closest bed and laid them both down. He pulled Cas close so they were chest to chest and let him snuggle into his neck.

"That's why you didn't text last night?" There were nights where Cas didn't text, but they were few and far between. He just nodded and wrapped their legs together. 

"I won't let that happen Cas." He refused to cry. He was going to be strong for Cas.

"How?" He mumbled into Dean's chest. "I'm only seventeen. She controls my life for another whole year." 

"I'm going to figure it out. Do you trust me?" 

"Yes."


	9. Preaching to the Preacher

They were able to hold each other for fifteen minutes before they had to head back. Neither of them spoke after that. It was enough to lay in a comfortable silence while Dean ran his fingers through Cas' hair. 

"I need you to stay brave. I know you can." Dean whispered as he held the door open and they greeted people. 

"I'm going to try." Cas tried to smile and it wasn't fake, but it wasn't exactly real either. 

A few more people came in and when there was only a few minutes left they closed the door and started towards the chapel.

"Hey Dean?" Cas touched his elbow and he turned.

"Yeah?" 

"Would you please pray with me?" Dean's mouth opened to speak but closed again.

"I'm not very good at praying." 

"It's just like a conversation." He could see how important this was by the look in his eyes, and he nodded closing his eyes and bowing his head. 

"Dear God, we ask that you will help Cas get through this and help me to help him. Please also give us courage to stand up when we need to, and thank you for bringing Cas into my life. Amen?" The last word was more of a question, but when he looked up and saw Cas smiling for real relief flowed through him. 

Mary was about to go and scold Dean and Cas for not coming in on time, but when she saw them praying through the glass panel she stopped. John stepped up behind her to see what the hold up was and she pointed at them before he opened the door. 

He huffed and walked away as soon as they opened their eyes. John took the stage as the door opened and both boys started to speed walk to their seats. 

"Good morning Church!" John picked up his Bible.

"Morning." The crowd answered some awake and others clearly not.

"I'd like to be honest with ya'll this morning. Can I do that?" Dean tried not to roll his eyes as his father started to turn his Pastor mode on. There were several positive noises from the pews.

"As you know, I've saved a great many young people. I've helped them pull away from the threat that is homosexuality." As he spoke the last word he pronounced every syllable slowly with deep pronunciation.

"Even though it was never actually said outright, I assume that most of you know that my lessons have been planed to specifically speak to Castiel." He paused to look at him. Dean looked back as well, and smiled as he saw Cas giving his father a genuine smile. 

"It has come to my attention that Castiel has a brother. Who is also a homosexual!" There were small gasps from the pews and Dean had to try extremely hard not to laugh. He put his hand over his mouth, and his mother turned to him.

"It'll be alright Dean. We will help Castiel before he gets too far gone like his brother." She had mistaken the tears from laughter as tears for sorrow. He nodded up at her, keeping his hand over his mouth, to hide his smile. 

"That's why this morning's first verse is Romans 12:2 which reads, 'Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect'." He paused to look up at Cas who had his Bible open and was following along. 

John took a deep breath trying to calm himself before speaking again. 

"Castiel, would you join me up here?" A small surprised look crossed Cas' face, but there was no fear in it.

John took a chair from the choir row and pulled it up; partly facing the crowd and partly facing the pulpit. Cas kept the page marked in his Bible as he took his seat. Dean was worried; half scared out of his mind actually.

"The points I want to make from this verse is rather easy. You see, your brother represents 'the world'. You shouldn't follow in his footsteps but instead turn to the church so we can renew your mind. We will lead you back to God, to show you what is 'good and acceptable and perfect'." Cas looked at him while he spoke. He knew he was on thin ice and things would just be easier if he sat still and stayed quiet. 

"The second verse I'd like to bring to your attention is second Thessalonians 2:10-12 which reads, 'And with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness'." Cas looked up at the man trying to hide his anger, and doing a rather good job. 

"You see Castiel, this homosexuality is a delusion." Screw this, he's not going to stay quiet while that man stands there and questions his faith. He stood.

"I have been saved. I have asked Jesus into my heart and I've been baptized. I read and study his words. He made me who I am according to Psalm 139:14, 'I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well'." He spoke softly with no rush. Cas looked up after stopping and saw complete and utter shock on the Pastor's face. Did he think he could bring him up here, try to humiliate him, and he wouldn't fight back?

"Turn with me to Corinthians 15:58. 'Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.' I stand here and declare my love for our God. I stand here as a gay Christian." Most of the group actually turned to the verse and the room was still silent. 

"Matthew 7:1-5 says, 'Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?' So I ask you what right do you have to judge me?" Cas' tone has turned a touch firmer but remained slow. Each word held compassionate where most people read that passage with rage. 

"Castiel, since you seem to intend to find fault in my teachings, tell me what plank do I have in my eye? And if I don't judge you, how can I help save you?" John finally spoke up.

"You can't save me. 'For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.' Ephesians 2:8-9. And Pastor John you were boasting earlier this morning. You said you saved people." Cas took a breath and met Dean's eyes. He had been making eye contact with people in the crowd, who were engrossed with his words. 

"I have two verses to help you with the question about your plank. Take a look at first John 1:8. 'If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us'." We all have planks, and I won't pretend I know what yours are, but John 8:7 says, 'He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her'." Cas had started to smile and move around the stage, but just a few feet. 

John was clearly struggling to keep his rage at bay, he'd already lost most of his composure. 

"Castiel why don't you turn to first Corinthians 8:1, 'Now regarding your question about food that has been offered to idols. Yes, we know that "we all have knowledge" about this issue. But while knowledge makes us feel important, it is love that strengthens the church.' You are throwing around all these different verses to distract us." John crossed his arms smugly.

"You completely left out the beginning of that verse. The knowledge that Paul is taking about is the knowledge of understanding false idols." Cas went on to read a few verses after that to make his point clear. 

"I've had enough of this disrespectful heathen back talk. Sit!" John had lost his cool and the tension forming in the room was tremendous. 

"Yes sir." Cas smiled and gave him a small nod before returning to sit next to his mother. 

The last ten minutes were spent on the verse, Ecclesiastes 3:1. 'There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens'.

But Cas could not care less. This was progress in his eyes. He had made an impact and started exactly what he was trying to do. 

John reminded everyone of the lock in tonight before dismissing them. He then marched over to Ms. Novak and they walked as fast as her heels would allow her to his office. 

Dean had never seen the church empty out this fast. No one even stayed in the foyer to talk. Dean smiled from ear to ear as he made his way over to Cas who was still sitting. He clutched his Bible and didn't look up when Dean sat down.

"I shouldn't have done that." He whispered, eyes resting on the Bible in his lap. Dean whipped his head up remembering something.

"Cas, what did I say in my prayer?" He finally looked up at Dean, but remained silent. 

"Didn't I say something about giving us courage to stand up when we needed to? I think he might have done that." Dean had hardly finished speaking when the door to his fathers office flew open. 

Ms. Novak pointed at Cas and he followed her out to the foyer, as Dean's father called him over.

"Son, forget about getting information from that boy. Today I need you to scold him, don't exactly push him away, but he needs to know that you will not be his friend if he keeps back talking." The air left Dean's lungs, and refused to come back.

"Ms. Novak and I have agreed that you two should spend some time here to talk and study before the lock in tonight." Dean managed to suck in a breath and nod. His father patted his shoulder before walking past him. 

Cas walked back in the room and Dean nodded his head towards the stairs. They made their way back to the homeless shelter room before either of them spoke. 

"If Pastor John doesn't fix me by the time Summer's over I'm going to one of those camps." Cas kept his eyes on the floor. Dean stepped up and rested their foreheads together; cradling Cas' cheeks in his palms. 

He wasn't sure what to say exactly. He wanted to comfort him, but he knew Cas' stance on lying about his sexuality. 

Cas pulled Dean over and kicked his shoes off before laying down. Dean followed and they ended up in the same position as before.

"Do you know what you want to do?" They had been cuddling well over an hour in content silence. 

"Yes and no." Cas continued to stroke his thumb across Dean's collarbone. Dean nudged Cas' head up with his chin until they made eye contact. 

"I'm not going to lie about being gay, and I'm not going to any camp. I just can't figure out a way to make both work yet." Cas looked back down and Dean didn't try to move him back. 

"My dad said to tell you I can't be your friend if you keep owning him with your amazingly intelligent views and knowledge of scripture." Cas snorted and started laughing hysterically. 

"Okay, maybe he didn't use those words but it's exactly what happened so I regret nothing." It took a few minutes and a sore side later for Cas to calm himself. Dean placed a gentle kiss on his head and turned away not wanting to yawn on Cas. 

"Why don't you take a nap. I'll watch over you and keep track of the time." Cas sugested as Dean closed his eyes. He was asleep in minutes. 

 

~<3~

 

A little after four Dean woke up in Cas' arms, and it was the most amazing experience he's ever had. Cas was just watching him, and didn't turn away when he opened his eyes. 

"Hello Dean."

"Hey Cas." Dean stretched for a second before returning to Cas' warmth. 

"Lucifer texted saying he'll be here at five and wants our help to set up." Dean nodded still trying to fully wake up. 

"We should probably get back where people can see us." Cas started to get up only to be pulled back in.

"But you're so warm." Dean moaned playfully. 

"Something tells me this won't be our last time cuddling." He untangled himself from the Dean's octopus grip and offered a hand. 

"Fine, but I'm holding you to that."


	10. When the Righteous Cry for Help, the Lord Hears

The lock in was being held in the gym. Dean set tables up for food. Cas laid down mats for people who were going to sit on the floor. 

Dean lead Cas up to the balcony and squeezed between a dresser and full length, five by five mirror. Three black garage bags flew over the furniture and Cas caught one and dodged the others. 

"You could've warned me." Cas smirked when Dean reappeared. 

"Where's the fun in that." He scooped the bags up and threw them over the ledges metal bar railing. Cas gave him a curious look but tossed his bag as well.

Both descend the stairs and Dean ripped open the first bag. A large blue and black comforter fell out. He gave it a shake to unfold it.

"To put on the mats." Dean explained. Cas grabbed another one and his contained a brown and cream bed set, with two pillows included. He started to follow Dean's example as the other boy ripped the last bag. 

It had three blue matching sleeping bags and a california king size white sheet. 

"So you just keep this stuff packed up in here?" Cas yelled as Dean ran up the stairs, the white sheet balled up in his arms.

"Nope. These are from the last yard sale, and I knew where they were." He started to hang it down from the ledge. 

"Charlie has a projecter." He smiled down at Cas. There was a knock on the closed metal door and Cas ran to open it. 

Lucifer rushed in with his hands full. He had four pizza boxes balanced on his left hand, and five overflowing shopping bags in his right. Cas quickly took the pizza and followed him over to the table. 

"It looks nice in here, we just need some chairs and I think we'll be set." 

 

~<3~ 

 

Everyone had arrived by eight, and the pizzas were first on the agenda. Kevin and Claire sat side by side on blue plastic chairs looking on as the rest of the group played uno on the floor. 

Alex had brought it along with several other games. She didn't even find if the cards got greasy. Eating and playing uno, made it more difficult and that made it more fun.

Kevin grabbed a fun size M&M bag and started to push the little candies into his pizza.

"You can't actually like that." Everyone turned to look as Claire spoke.

"Don't knock it until you try it." He passed her the rest of his bag. By the end of the game everyone had tried the odd mix and the only other person who enjoyed it was Charlie. 

Lucifer tossed a few glow sticks in the middle of the circle. 

"Manhunt anyone?" He smiled. Cas took a blue stick.

"I've never played." 

"It's simple; it's a mix of tag and hide and seek and there are teams with captains. You hide somewhere on the church grounds, you can stay together or split up and basically don't get tagged." Dean replied cracking his own blue stick.

"We always add a time limit though; 20 minutes." Claire added.

"And speaking of teams you've already picked them." Lucifer pointed to the color of the sticks. There were three blue and three green. 

"Dean, Cas, Kevin, and Alex, Claire, and Charlie. Who wants to hide and who wants to search." 

The girls looked at each other, and nodded. It was obvious that Charlie would be the Captain. She stepped up with a rock, paper, scissors stance.

"I'm new at this." Cas took a step back.

"It's yours if you want it." Dean looked at Kevin who took his spot in front of Charlie.

"Winner searches. On my mark. Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!" Lucifer called.

Paper and rock; Charlie had won.

 

"You get one minute to plan and five minutes to hide, and remember, phones on so if your not found we can call to get you back." Lucifer lead the boys out and closed the doors to keep the girls from hearing.

"I think we should split up." Kevin suggested.

"Cas is too new to the grounds. He should come with me, besides your the fastest. You should go on your own." Dean supplied.

"Time's up. Go!" Lucifer kept his eye on his phone as Kevin went left and Cas and Dean went right. 

"Where are we going?" Cas ran after Dean. 

"The school." They rounded a corner and took off towards the first building.

"We are completely out in the open!" Cas whisper yelled as they crossed the parking lot.

"We got time." Dean took his hand and picked up speed. They ducked around and Dean pointed to a side door with two planks nailed across it. Cas' raised his eyebrows in question. Dean turned the knob and the door swung inward. 

They climbed between the boards and shut the door behind them.

"Are we going to lock it?" Cas stopped.

"That'd be unfair, plus the lock is broken anyway. Now come on." He took his hand again, but this time they walked, weaving through dust covered desks. 

Dean opened a lower cabinet door, under a counter that lined a wall. 

"There is no way we are fitting under there." 

"Sam and I broke the drawers off but glued the faces on. We'll fit." He held the door open for Cas, who climbed in.

"Why do you have so many hiding spots?" Cas took Dean's hand. 

"If my dad can't find me he can't yell or ya know." Cas squeezed lightly but didn't speak. It would have been completely dark if it weren't for the blue lights on their wrists.

"Hey Cas." They had been sitting in a comfortable silence, just holding hands. 

"Hmm." Dean could see the other boy lift his head; turning his gaze from their hands to his eyes. 

"I want to kiss you." Dean knew if there was more light he would be able to see Cas blush. 

"I want you to kiss me too."

"I've never kissed anyone before." Cas scooted forward.

"I want your first kiss to be special. You sure you want it to be here?" 

"As long as it's with you it'll be incredibly special." Dean leaned in and pressed his lips slowly against Cas'. Their lips followed each other in an awkward sort of dance, but Dean loved it. 

As soon as they pulled back both their phones buzzed with the same text. 

-Boys win. Next round.-

 

~<3~

 

They played three more rounds and it ended in a tie. After the last round when both teams came back, there were three boxes of energy drinks on the table. 

"I won't tell if you won't." Lucifer opened a box and pulled one out for himself. Kevin claimed three even though he could come back for more. 

Everyone took a few minutes to calm down and drink before Claire suggested a game of human knot.

"I feel cheated. How do I not know any of these games." Cas put his drink on the table. Dean chuckled as he took Cas' left hand with his and held his right out for her to take with her right.

Cas had jumped at first, thinking Dean had forgotten they were in public or something similar, but when everyone started taking hands he let out a sigh in relief.

"Now what?" He asked.

"Now we untangle ourselves without letting go." Charlie supplied moving to duck under Kevin and Alex's arms. In the process she pushed Dean into Cas. 

It took less then ten minutes to figure it out, and from there everyone broke into there own small groups. Charlie, Dean, and Cas sat in a circle in the far most corner of the gym and played a few card games, not particularly paying attention to what anyone else was doing.

"Three sevens." Dean put his cards on the pile face down. 

"So how are you liking it here? That's a stupid question, have you found anything positive about coming here?" Charlie asked Cas before announcing she was putting down two kings.

"Bullshit." Dean called after her figers pulled away. Charlie grunted but picked up the pile of cards. Bullshit was not her game.

"I really like the youth group nights, and for a Pastor, Lucifer doesn't seem so bad." Cas laid down his cards. 

"I was thinking about that the other day. He's really stared to, open up and relax lately." Dean said.

"Well I like the change." Charlie said.

 

~<3~

 

At around three AM everyone laid down on the mats as they watched a movie projected on the sheet. 

They had settled on The Martian and planed on watching Star Trek: The Motion Picture next. If they could stay away that long. Alex was the first to fall asleep, shortly followed by Claire and Charlie. Kevin had finished his fourth energy drink before Lucifer cut him off. 

Dean and Cas laid on their stomachs side by side, heads resting in their hands, making quite conversation about the movie.

Jody showed up at six to collect Alex and Claire. They groggily crawled into their mom's car and were both asleep as soon as they were buckled. Kevin and Charlie left with their parents soon after and Lucifer was left with Dean and Cas. 

"Pastor John said that he was spending the day here to do some paperwork, and that your mom is going to be late, Castiel." Lucifer stood and lead them out of the gym. 

"I had a lot of fun, thank you for everything." Cas called after the Youth Pastor, who waved as he went to his car. 

Dean's phone buzzed and he took it out.

\- I want you and Castiel to meet me in the dining hall.- 

Dean read it aloud. 

"That's kinda odd." He showed Cas the message.

"Maybe he just wants to show us something?" Cas said as they started towards the building.

"I hope that's all it is." 

 

~<3~

 

Dean held open the back door to the kitchen, not wanting to walk all the way around. When they went through the next door they found the room was strangely dark. The curtains were new and they blocked out all of the sun light. There was a long fold up table, with lit candles, a wooden cross, and several other things Dean skimmed his eyes over.

"Help!" He didn't even notice as his father put Cas in a head lock. Dean froze and then looked over as his mother put a hand on his shoulder.

"Dean, give me your phone." She said, her voice between scared and strict. When he hesitated she reached into his pocket and took it.

By the time Dean looked up Cas was being held down in a chair while his own mother tied rope around his limbs.

"Let me go! Help! Dean!" 

Dean's brain clicked into action and he started running towards Cas, knocking his mother over in the process. 

"Dean!" His father's voice reminded him of when he was little, right before the belt came out.

His father grabbed him befbefore he could get to Cas. 

"You are on the wrong side of this, and here I thought you'd be happy to help your friend be free of his demon." Ms. Novak brought an extra length of rope over and tied Dean's hands behind his back. Mary took him by the shoulders and lead him back against the wall as he struggled. 

 

Cas wiggled to no avail. John picked a small vile of liquid off the table and began sprinkling it on Castiel's head.

"'Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins,' Hebrews 9:22. Admit your sin Castiel." John picked up his Bible. 

"John 1:3, 'All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made'. I am made how he intended me to be." He continued to struggle; the rope burning into his wrists. 

"If you will not confess your sins they can not be forgiven." John picked up the wooden cross and slammed it against the boy's forehead.

"It's not too late Castiel. You can be saved." Dean struggled harder; fighting his mother, but not wanting to hurt her. He had to do something. 

"Cas! Joshua 1:9, 'Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.' I looked that up after we prayed together." Dean called across the room. 

"Quite!" John spat at his son. Dean's eyes went wide as his father picked up an ornate knife from the table.

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." Castiel closed his eyes and stared reciting the verses.

"The Lord is not with you, Castiel." John unsheath the knife and held it to his left cheek.

"Exodus 33:14, My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." Cas was starting to scry as he recited the verses.

"You think he cares about a blasphemer like you?" John was lightly running the knife over his face; down his jawline, up to his ear and back.

"Psalm 34:17, When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears, and rescues them from all their troubles." Castiel's words were barely understandable as he sobbed. John pressed the tip of the blade into his left cheek, just enough for a single drop to flow down. 

"One last chance, Castiel." Castiel started the verse again and John plunged the knife into his right leg and pulled it back out slowly.

"Police!" The front door was broken down and several officers rushed in; guns at the ready. John dropped the knife as he rushed to put his hands up. 

Ms. Novak ran for the knife, but as her fingers gripped it a shot rang out. 

"'When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted.', Psalm 138:3." Cas mumbled right before passing out.

Dean pushed past the officer who untied him and ran to the paramedics who had just loaded Cas onto a stretcher. He followed them to the ambulance, but was stopped by an officer.

"He's my boyfriend. I need to go with him." His voice cracked.

"Hurry up." One of the paramedics called.

 

~<3~

 

Castiel woke up in a hospital bed and took in his surroundings. Dean was holding his hand. That was good. This room was too white. That's not good. Gabriel is sitting next to Dean. That's good. He shot up. Gabriel was sitting next to Dean.

"Hey, settle down baby bro." Gabe leaned in.

"I missed you so, so much." Cas tried to crawl out of bed but failed miserably as the IV pulled him back.

"Careful Cassie, they got you on the good stuff." Memories started to flow through his head and he lifted up the blanket to look at his leg.

"It's not as bad as it looks, but you're not going to be walking for a bit." Dean squeezed his hand.

"What happened to our parents?" 

"Your mom was pronounced dead on arrival, and my mom and dad were arrested." Dean sighed. Cas nodded slowly and then someone knocked on the open door. 

"May I come in?" Cas looked over at Dean and he waved Lucifer over. He sat on the empty second bed facing Cas and stayed silent and Cas turned his head in confusion.

"Lucifer was the one who called the cops." Dean tighted his grip.

"I had forgotten I had put something in the fridge of the kitchen and came back for it. I heard your screams and called the police. I even got some video of it on my phone. I don't think they will out of jail for a very long time." He reached in his pocket and pulled out a tiny golden necklace with a cross on it.

"I want you to have this. My bestfriend, Michael, gave it to me on the day I came out to my parents. It didn't go well and I never wore it after that, but you stood up for what you believed in, when I couldn't." Cas wanted to refuse but he saw in Lucifer's eyes how much it meant to him. He took it and gave it to Dean to put it on him.

"So what happens now?" Cas leaned back.

"Now you and Deano come live with me, provided you both want that." Gabriel smiled.

"That'd be amazing, but I guess it's up to you. I know we haven't really known each other too long. Do you want to come with me, Dean?" Cas asked.

"Definitely."

**Author's Note:**

> The church that the layout is based off of is an actual church I went to, and several of the hide aways do exist.
> 
> Holy oil is actually used in Pentecostal practices.


End file.
